FCC Clears Amazon Leo's $11.5 Billion Globalstar Spectrum Purchase

The FCC's Space Bureau has approved Amazon Leo's application to acquire roughly 25 megahertz of Globalstar's internationally harmonised mobile-satellite service spectrum, closing the regulator's review of the $11.5 billion purchase of Globalstar.

The decision, dated October 28, 2026, hands Amazon the spectral foundation for a direct-to-device (D2D) satellite business serving residential, business and government customers with both fixed and mobile services. Amazon plans to use Globalstar's mobile-satellite spectrum and infrastructure to add capacity and new capabilities to existing services, including connectivity beyond the reach of terrestrial wireless networks.

What does the approval actually change?

The FCC's public-interest findings run along four lines. The agency concluded the transaction is likely to:

• enhance data coverage in unserved or underserved areas;
• strengthen emergency communications capabilities;
• foster growth in industrial and enterprise data services;
• promote more intensive use of mobile-satellite service spectrum.

The FCC also found that no material public-interest harms were likely to result. That phrasing — "likely" — carries weight. The findings are projections of benefit, not measured outcomes, and the deal's success will depend on Amazon Leo actually deploying the newly acquired spectrum at scale.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr framed the approval in political terms. "President Trump is restoring America's technology leadership," Carr said. "And this FCC authorisation is a significant step towards supercharging next-generation connectivity. By approving this deal, the FCC has empowered Amazon Leo to deliver fast, next-gen satellite broadband services, increase competition, and help communities stay connected all across the country."

The claim of increased competition deserves scrutiny. Amazon Leo is entering a D2D field where SpaceX already operates and AST SpaceMobile holds authorisations — three major US players rather than a market of many. Whether consumers see lower prices or better coverage depends on execution, not on the order itself.

A new constellation is part of the package

The approval follows a related Space Bureau decision granting Globalstar's request for US market access for its non-geostationary C-3 System. The technical parameters are specific:

• 48 satellites in 12 orbital planes, four satellites per plane;
• inclination of 52 degrees, altitude of 1,414 kilometres;
• Earth-to-space MSS links at 1610–1618.725 MHz;
• space-to-Earth links at 2483.5–2500 MHz;
• feeder links and telemetry, tracking and command in the 5091–5250 MHz Earth-to-space and 6875–7055 MHz space-to-Earth bands.

Once the Globalstar transaction closes, Amazon Leo may use the C-3 System grant to build and launch the newly authorised system. That gives Amazon a licensed, fully specified constellation design on day one — provided it funds and builds the satellites, a step the FCC order cannot compel.

How the FCC is reshaping the D2D market

The Globalstar approval sits inside a broader regulatory push. The FCC says it is taking what it calls aggressive actions across multiple fronts to secure American leadership in D2D. Earlier in 2026, the Space Bureau granted SpaceX authorisation to build, launch and deploy a 15,000-satellite D2D constellation, and authorised AST SpaceMobile's 248-satellite system. For context, Amazon's newly cleared C-3 System, at 48 satellites, is roughly 0.3 percent the size of SpaceX's authorised constellation — though satellite counts alone do not determine service capability, given differing orbit designs and spectrum holdings.

More spectrum is moving. At its October 29 Open Meeting — one day after the Globalstar approval — the FCC will vote on two items it says would bring spectrum abundance for D2D: a proposed auction of the 1675–1695 MHz and 2020–2025 MHz bands, and a proposal to open up approximately 500 megahertz of additional wireless spectrum that may be used for D2D services.

Half a gigahertz of new D2D-capable spectrum would be a substantial addition to the resource pool; whether it materialises depends on the vote and the rulemaking that follows. The FCC's sequence this month — clearing the Amazon Leo deal, the prior SpaceX and AST SpaceMobile grants, and the pending auction items — signals that direct-to-device satellite service has moved from experimental to central regulatory priority. Amazon Leo's next milestones are commercial: closing the Globalstar transaction and committing capital to the C-3 build.